


Stone

by SockLing



Series: They Were... [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Canon Trans Character, Evie Bashing, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jacob Brand Fluff, M/M, Ned Also Has Problems With Infidelity, Ned Bashing Everyone, Ned Bashing Evie, Ned Bashing a Lady, Ned is Protective of His Jacob, Which Never Actually Happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 11:50:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6078288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SockLing/pseuds/SockLing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacob is a persistent little bastard.</p><p>Ned finds it annoying and weirdly endearing, even when trollops are claiming Jacob did something he would never dream of doing.  And maybe Ned loves him for it when no one else will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Again, rated M for that lovely mouth on Ned.
> 
> But a quick note on the non-con elements: they're vague. Not only that, it never actually happened. While accusations of such are very serious, there are some instances of people using those accusations simply to get out of trouble or whatever they want. This work is that particular scenario.
> 
> There are also some hints of sexism, but really, Ned just hates anyone who goes into marriage and doesn't treat it seriously (or anyone who threatens/upsets his Jacob...). I think I'll explore why later, sure there's less fluff and more angst there.

Jacob was a persistent little bastard.

Ned narrowed his eyes as he saw the man sauntering into one of his warehouses, not at all ready to deal with Jacob brand stupidity yet. He felt like ten carriages had run him over and he couldn’t breathe too deeply without coughing. But there was the assassin, tipping his top hat to some of the men and women running around. And though Ned really didn’t like her much, seeing Evie following her brother in made him think that maybe Jacob wouldn’t be so… _Jacob_.

“Miss Frye, _Frye._ ” There was a small bit of satisfaction when Jacob looked a little down at being addressed so harshly. Served him right, coming around when Ned felt like throwing himself into the Thames and letting whatever happened happen. “And to what do I owe this more unusual pleasure?”

It was actually very rare for the sister to drop by to see Ned for anything, even business. Usually Jacob did that, and it tended to end with a punch or two to his arms. He felt his lip trying to curl back when she plastered on her best “ _I aim to please everyone_ ” smile. Ned never trusted it; as someone who could schmooze with the best of them, he knew fake pleasantness when he saw it. “Well, it seems **my brother** has gotten into a bit of trouble.”

She tossed a glare over her shoulder to Jacob, which made Ned want to punch her right in the nose.

Only he was allowed to treat Jacob like some idiot.

Plus, he was getting pretty annoyed that she wasn’t finishing her explanation. “Get to the point, Miss Frye.” He couldn’t stop his smirk when she blinked owlishly at him, apparently not used to being the one treated like a nuisance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jacob bite down on his lip, but he decided to ignore it for now. Ned crossed his arms over his chest as Evie floundered for a moment, but managed to get her bearings back.

“Yes, of course. Jacob is having a bit of trouble with his sleeping around ways again.” Ned furrowed his brows; no, that didn’t sound right. Jacob was insufferable and too damn gorgeous to be allowed among the common folk, but he was not some asshole who couldn’t keep his trousers on. “One of the ladies living in Westminster is threatening to have him jailed. She’s claiming assault because she’s pregnant from their affair and doesn’t wa-”

“Frye doesn’t sleep with women.”

Evie stopped suddenly, her mouth shutting with a click of her teeth. Ned raised a brow in her direction as he noticed Jacob sag behind her, the posture of a man who was happy someone believed him. The sister cleared her throat and started again. “I… she does say that they-”

“You’re an awful fucking sibling.” Where was a goddamn painter!? Evie’s look was something he wanted to treasure forever, hanging above his fireplace to constantly remind him of the day he made her speechless. Jacob’s look of adoration would have been nice too, constantly looking at him from his bedroom wall when he was feeling needy. While they were both still quiet, he decided to continue. “Frye is an idiot of elephantine proportions, but not only does he know how to keep at least his trousers on - I can’t say the same of his damn shirt - he also doesn’t sleep with women. He did once, and decided never again. So I refuse to believe this… this… _whore_.”

Was it wrong to love the way Evie looked like she had been slapped with that word?

He brushed some imaginary dirt from his suit jacket, looking as uninterested as possible. “However, she’s still saying awful things and considering Frye’s place in the world of law, they will be inclined to believe her like you did. You who should know your own brother better than your business associate, at least. Now leave Frye here while you go back to that damn train and take a moment to think about this shit. I can’t believe I’m the fucking adult here.”

Nevermind the fact he was actually eight years older than them both.

She had the decency to looked cowed and slunk back out of his warehouse as Ned snarled at her back. He sucked in a breath, ready to berate Jacob, but it left him in a completely dignified grunt when he had the full weight of a grown ass man bearing down on him. For some dumbass reason, the workers of his warehouse seemed to be used to this blatant display of far too much affection between two men. His nose wrinkled, willing all the coppers to stay away from his warehouse for just thirty seconds. Prison did not appeal to him.

“Frye, the fuck off of me.”

“But you believe I didn’t do it!”

“Of course, but you’re draped around a goddamn man in the middle of an open warehouse. Get off.” When Jacob didn’t seem to be listening, Ned huffed and directed a well aimed elbow into Jacob’s ribs. The man grunted and fell away, sliding to the ground in his typical overly dramatic fashion. The smaller man rolled his eyes and fixed his lapels, letting out a sigh of relief under his breath when two patrolling officers passed the open doors only seconds later.

And unsurprisingly, Jacob was no longer on the ground, but hiding just behind the doors and out of the coppers’ sight.

“Frye, get your ass out here. The officers aren’t going to take you in for fucking lying on the ground and whining like some child. Though I believe Abberline would find it hilarious. As would I.”

“Freddy wouldn’t arrest me!”

Ned took the time to walk over and punch Jacob’s arm with a snort. “I didn’t say that. But come on, let’s go take care of this crazy bitch for you.” He pushed a pouting Jacob out the door, who kept _insisting_ he wasn’t pouting but Ned was no fool. Jacob was an open book and pouting was included.

 

Ned was staring at the woman raving at him, just feeling his IQ dropping with every word that bubbled forth from her too fucking bright lip paint. It was like a beacon for every man she could possibly snatch in her imagination. Her husband was in the background, looking as horribly unconvinced as Ned was. He had told Jacob to stay put in the damn carriage, but that man hadn’t listened - surprise of the fucking century - and followed Ned in.

In his patchy jacket and tattered top hat.

Apparently, every man in this room knew that this _lady_ , a term he used loosely, had tastes for only the finer things. Even her husband was quite handsome in Ned’s eyes, a man with a perfect posture, elegantly tailored suit, and some of the most clean cut facial hair he had ever seen. Seriously, Ned might have considered staying in America and choking down the life of being a lady if that man had been one of his choices for a suitor. A quick peek over told him that Jacob was staring at the man and something strange sparked in Ned’s chest.

He wanted to punch that fucking man now, whatever the hell his name was.

“-and then that brute forced himself on me!” Something about that high pitched voice and the husband now looking in Jacob’s direction for far too long made Ned snap. He stood up after slamming the glass in his hand onto the table. The “lady” startled and stared at him while the husband looked away from Jacob, coughing awkwardly.

“That fucking idiot over there-” He pointed violently at Jacob, who blinked quite dumbly in Ned’s opinion. “Wouldn’t touch a single damn person against their will. But especially not some harpy-voiced whore who can’t keep her damn legs closed long enough to come up with some better fucking excuses! I don’t give a shit who you sleep with, or how many, but you’re a married woman who’s accusing men of assaulting you to cover up you sleeping around. Grow up and take some fucking responsibility.” He walked out of the house, slamming the door as he went.

As he climbed into the carriage, he saw Jacob come sprinting out and felt his eyelid twitch.

That bitch was chasing after him.

Ned stepped out of the carriage and took a few steps forward, letting Jacob run past before leaning forward and delivering a jab to the woman’s stomach. She toppled over, gasping, but Ned knew the damage was minimal. There would hardly even be a bruise. But the damage to her pride and ego? Oh, he hoped that never went away. “I said to grow the fuck up. Maybe you and your goddamned husband should be talking about sleeping with other people.”

He could see said husband standing in the doorway, a look of contemplation on his face. Maybe both of them needed to sleep around, but that wasn’t Ned’s problem and it shouldn’t have to be Jacob’s either. He was emotionally stunted, but damn, he wasn’t made of stone; no one should have to deal with that shit. He climbed back up, this time in the driver’s seat, and headed back to Southwark and his home.

“... thanks Neddy boy.”

He huffed. “For what, Frye?”

“Doing what apparently no one else will and believing me.”

Ned rolled his eyes, but he didn’t say anything more. He knew Jacob by now, knew that he used to think ladies were his choice of partners and he knew that those ideas had changed. But more than anything, he knew Jacob wasn’t an asshole who forced anyone to sleep with him. All he ever mentioned was how he and Ned never needed to have sex, that Jacob was more than content to handle that all himself and Ned would never have to be uncomfortable.

Though saying it that way made it sound as if he brought it up often, which it was rarely a topic they discussed in the first place.

Ned wasn’t ready and Jacob wasn’t pushing; it didn’t need to be discussed constantly.

“Just get inside when we get there, Frye.” He heard a grunt and left it at that, only slowing when he can see his home. He hadn’t come to a stop when Jacob jumped out and ran inside, Ned rolling his eyes. But eventually, he followed the taller man and found him stretched out on the bed. “How rude, stealing my bed and keeping your filthy boots on.”

Jacob rolled to his side and made grabby hands for Ned, which immediately caused his lips to pull back. Regardless, he slipped off his own shoes and flattened himself on the bed, grumbling just under his breath as he decided to hell with it and snuggled into the larger man. It was barely a split second later that arms were wrapped tightly around, so damn warm.

Which was not pleasant, not at all, no matter how cold it was in the house and how freezing Ned was and dammit.

It was really nice.

His nose wrinkled in frustration and he decided he was already in this deep. Ned took a deep breath and wiggled back just enough to grab Jacob’s face and pull him in for a bruising kiss. He clearly caught the assassin by surprise, who was still against him for quite some time. Right around the moment Ned was getting insulted and ready to pull back and demand Jacob leave, he felt a large hand settle on the back of his neck. It kept his head in place as the idiot finally reciprocated and Ned felt something in his chest unclench and settle down.

And for a moment, Ned just got lost in the sensation of Jacob’s lips against his own. It almost shattered when he felt a hand land on his hip, but the assassin seemed to sense he had just pushed a boundary too early and pulled his hand away, then separated from the kiss with that stupid fucking grin of his. Ned grunted and pushed Jacob’s face away, which only earned him a laugh. He huffed. “... and that’s why you can’t be some asshole who assaults people.”

“What?”

“You never push anything. Couldn’t have pushed yourself on that bitch.” Ned saw the muscles twitching in Jacob’s face. “Don’t you dare grin like an idiot!”

“Too late~” The grin had spread past his lips and morphed his entire face as the man clung to Ned like he was some kind of life line. Ned tried to squirm away, but true to his nature, Jacob never let go. Persistent little ass. Ned huffed and settled down after a few more minutes of struggling, which was mostly for his pride as opposed to actually wanting to leave Jacob’s hold. It was nice and snuggly and warm and oh good god, Ned just used the word “snuggly.”

Jacob would never know about it.

_Ever._

He grunted when he felt the scratch of facial hair on his cheek and realized a grown man was nuzzling his face. “... you’re not a goddamned cat, cut it out.” He could just _feel_ that stupid grin spreading the assassin’s lips even further. Suddenly, there was a tongue dragging across his cheek and Ned did not, under any circumstances or torture, squawk. “Frye, what the fuck!? That’s disgusting, stop!”

Ned did **not** need this shit when he still _felt_ like shit.

There was a rumbling chuckle from the man’s chest as he kept going, leaving Ned’s cheek sticky with his saliva. “It’s social grooming, it’s how cats show love, Ned~” Even a punch to the shoulder couldn’t stop Jacob and Ned was left laying there, growling as some grown dumbass got as much saliva as he could fucking produce all over his face. Ned kicked him off the bed when he started to go for his hair, ignoring the way the man was uproariously laughing on the floor.

Holy shit, Jacob was _amazingly **disgusting**_.

… but Ned still loved him.


End file.
